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Friday, August 17, 2012

Anna & Israel's Wedding

You'll probably remember Anna and Israel from a post in May when they had their engagement session. Their engagement session was so passionate, fun and full of love. Anna and Israel really are best friends, and it shows in their pictures. Their wedding was no different - passionate, full of love and FUN! Anna and Israel decided to do something at the end that I'd never done before but absolutely loved! Enjoy the wedding preview (which turned out to be over 50 pictures!)

I started my morning off at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City. It's an incredible location for a wedding ceremony and reception. At their hotel I found Anna starting to get ready.

After some pictures of Anna getting ready, I had to take pictures of her wedding gown and shoes before it was time to put them on. I have never had a harder time doing this! The lighting inside the hotel made some nasty shadows on her pure white dress, and the halls and lobby had yellow/orange lighting so that didn't work either. So my assistant and I took Anna's dress outside where we found the cart used to carry luggage to the hotel rooms and that worked perfectly to hang her dress and take pictures! The people that passed smiled upon seeing Anna's gorgeous dress hanging :-)

As a person who almost always wears Aldo Shoes, I thought Anna's shoe selection was excellent :-)

Once we got those shots we quickly headed back up to take Anna's dress, shoes and veil and then she started getting ready. Wow. The details were perfect.

I have to give a shout out to Anna's younger sister, Rebeca. Not only was she the maid of honor but she was such a HUUUGE help to Anna that morning. Rebeca - you rock!

I love when the bride looks at herself in the mirror. Her reflection is priceless.

He hair was absolutely gorgeous.

Wow. What a bride.

Anna - you are stunning.

Israel was also looking fantastic - and he was so ready to see his bride!

And finally the ceremony about to start and Israel looking for his beautiful bride....

And there she was.

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful.

One perspective....

And another.

Instead of lighting the same candle to signify their unity, Anna and Israel decided to fill a vase with three different colored grains of sand. White, blue and green. Blue and green were the theme colors of their wedding and those were the colors that Anna and Israel poured into the vase. The third color, white, represents God, and that was poured by their pastor. I loved the idea. With God in their marriage, it will survive, even through the hardest of times.

Love it.

And then it was time to kiss the bride. Israel was thrilled - and it shows on his face! :-)

And there it is :-)

Everyone was so happy for them :-)

And the walk back up the aisle. I love this part - couples are always so happy.

And then it was time for the portraits. Wow. I adore this staircase. And so did the wedding party!

I love big wedding parties.

The men!

They were so silly but it made taking their picture so much fun :-)

Anna and the boys - beyond adorable!

"Israel??!!" :-)

I'm not sure which version I like better.... So I'm posting both :-)

And then it was time for just Anna and Israel. Adorable.

I love the moment before the kiss - that smile that inevitably emerges.

So beautiful.

Flare baby!

An up-close dip.

We did a picture similar to this during their engagement session, but I love it so much more in a bow tie and wedding dress.

Same thing with this picture - we did it during their engagement session, but it's so much cuter in their wedding :-)

So passionate.

And then it was time for the reception! Lots of blue candy involved :-)

And there was mariachi! Anna and Israel had no idea and were so pleasantly surprised by it :-)

Their beautiful (and delicious!) wedding cake.

And cake cutting :-)

They ended their wedding by thanking everyone for all their love for them. Both of them had heartfelt speeches. What a perfect way to end a wedding.

But that's not how the wedding day ended! Anna and Israel decided to go to City Walk (Universal Studios Hollywood) for some more pictures! My assistant rode with them in the party bus and took pictures while I followed in my car. When I got there I found the guys soaked as the ran through the water fountains! Typical boys :-)

The ladies were much more civilized. (Don't mind the Abercrombie & Fitch billboards in the background! :-)

Well, kind of :-)

There was this big block that released water and steam, and Israel thought it would be a brilliant idea to climb up for some solo-pictures. His groomsmen decided to give him a "boost" (seriously, his groomsmen were SO funny and silly!)....

But the security guard immediately asked him to get down because it was wet and he could slip, fall and hurt himself. So, since we couldn't get the pictures up there, they got a picture with the security guard! He was a good sport about it :-)

One of my favorite wedding party pictures of the day. The colors were magnificent!

And we ended with this - the dude from Operation Repo! I can't remember his name for the life of me, but he was so incredibly nice. He took a picture with Israel and Anna first, then the whole wedding party and before he left he wished them nothing but the very best in their marriage and ended with "God bless you guys." He was so sweet.

Anna and Israel - it was such a pleasure to document your wedding with my lens. It was so much fun and you two are beyond adorable together. I wish you nothing but blessings in your marriage, for you to be prospered and in love forever. Congrats! - Brenda